


Absolution

by HelloTragic



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 20:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20841284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelloTragic/pseuds/HelloTragic
Summary: It's a tale as old as time. A princess on the run. The fastest ship in the king's armada tasked with keeping her safe. The princess falling in love with the ship's lieutenant. It's the stuff fairy tales are made of. Or is it?A Halloween fic.





	Absolution

**Author's Note:**

> Yup, that's the title I went with, because nothing else sounded right...
> 
> If a nameless goose can become an overnight sensation, then this fic can stand with no title.. or something

Once upon a time, in a kingdom located deep between the land and sea, lived a king that ruled with an iron fist. A king that was feared by all that lived in his lands. For over thirty years he sat upon the throne, a widower with a runaway son whom looked little like him. The lands he owned soon fell to ruin. The ground beneath his castle turned brown, the trees died out, and all was barren. A wasteland. 

The king blamed his subjects, decreeing that they weren’t working hard enough to maintain the crops. That they weren’t hunting hard enough to bring home meat. He threatened the peasants with higher taxes and jail. Still, the lands fell further into disrepair.

But just when all hope seemed lost, the bells rang on a dark and rainy night. The king was dead. Rumors swirled. Failing health. Poison.  _ Murder _ . No one ever knew for sure.

Everyone in the kingdom gathered for the late king’s funeral. His body was wrapped in shrouds, set ablaze as the small rowboat was pushed out to sea, letting the waves carry it deeper and deeper into the great blue ocean. They came from miles away, everyone that had ever been terrorized by King George. They came not to pay their respects, but to rejoice. The tyrant was truly dead.

The most shocking part of his death, though, was the return of his estranged son. It was no secret that in recent years the tension between the two men had grown past the point of breaking. Yet there was James, standing on the beach, watching as the flames of his father disappeared over the horizon.

There were whispers about James’s return as well. That his return coinciding with George's death was suspicious, not that the people minded in anyway. The castle's official statement was that upon realizing that King George would not make it through the night, their best rider was dispatched to fetch the prince.

The prince's presence wasn't the only thing that had people talking though. No, it was the woman that accompanied him. The woman that bore a ring with the family's crest upon the side, etched into the metal that held the late queen’s wedding stone. It was clear to all with eyes that the prince had taken a wife during his time away.

At first, not much had been known about her, but as time passed, people learned her name. Snow White. Bandit and traitor to the crown of a neighboring kingdom. Yet still, the people minded not. Not after everything they'd borne witness to under the ruling of King George. Not when wealth was returning to the kingdom. Not when taxes were decreasing and crops were returning to their former glory. Not when the food and work was shared equally among all who lived in the kingdom. Not when they saw their new king beside them day in and day out willing to get dirty to plow the lands, or when they saw their new queen leaving each morning with a bow and sheath of arrows on her back, only to return each evening with a load of guards following behind with a cart full of deer for dinner.

The next time the bells rang out was to announce the birth of a new princess. A young girl named Emma. Even as a child, it was obvious that she would be beautiful. As her eyes settled into a shade of green that rivaled the emerald stone in Snow White’s ring, and when her hair turned to gold, her beauty only increased. 

The princess also had the best tutors money could buy, and the best manners that could be taught. She was just as kind and smart as she was lovely.

But things can never stay as they were. Times change and prosperity ends. War comes.

As the princess's eighteenth birthday neared, what should have been a celebration soon became the day most dreaded. For the Evil Queen, known better as Regina to Snow White, ordered her troops to bear down on the kingdom, seizing the lands around Misthaven. Her armies had cut off all routes of escape. The food supplies dwindled and all hope once again seemed lost.

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


King James looked around the small round table they used for their council meetings. Everyone had shown up, many taking great risk towards their own safety. Regina's guards were everywhere along the borders, imprisoning people they felt were close to the king and queen, and murdering the ones they deemed useless. Some of the council members had to sneak past her guards with the use of the very same magic Regina possessed.

The Blue Fairy had used a portion of what little fairy dust remained, dangerously depleting the fairies’ stockpile. Ever since Regina had arrived, she'd done what she could to collapse all of the mine entrances along the border, blocking the dwarves from harvesting the crystals needed to make the dust. Only one mine remained open, and most of the crystals had already been extracted.

Things were grim, and James worried that he and his wife might just have to surrender the kingdom to Regina. Naturally, it wasn't what he wanted to do, but if it was the only way to ensure the safety of his people, he'd be willing to set his pride aside.

Of course, there was also the matter of Emma. Regina's descension on their kingdom had been nearly eighteen years in the making. A series of calculated attacks with the sole purpose of destroying everything that James and Snow held near. He knew that if Regina won, that she'd stop at nothing to destroy Snow, and the fastest way to do so would be to harm their daughter.

“Surely there has to be something we can do? This can’t be it?” His wife may have hid behind a face of strength, but James could feel her hand shaking next to his on the table.

Snow had taken it the worst of everyone. She felt that everything was her fault. The result of a childhood indiscretion. A mistake. One that an entire kingdom and thousands would be forced to pay penance for.

James refused though. The fault laid with Regina and her alone. She was the one that let the darkness into her heart. She was the one that allowed it to fester, unchecked and unabated. And in the end, she would lose. He just wasn’t yet sure how.

“I’m afraid it is Your Majesties.” James almost missed seeing the small blue fairy floating above Ruby’s shoulder. “We’ve only one bag of fairy dust left, and it won’t be enough to hold Regina’s army off. It’s barely enough magic for one small task.”

He took stock of the room, hoping against all odds that someone, anyone, might have a plan, but no one spoke. Even Grumpy, who was usually the first to complain, was silent. 

“Well that’s it then isn’t it? Regina’s won.” The defeat in Snow’s voice nearly broke James.

“Wait, do you smell that?” Ruby looked to her grandmother for confirmation. “Do you hear something?”

The old woman stood from her seat, walking to the window, looking out towards the sea.

“Come here girl. These old eyes aren’t what they used to be.”

Granny moved aside as Ruby took her place, the rest of the council room crowding behind her. 

“It’s a ship. A large ship at that!”

James grumbled. The last of his naval ships had been dispatched weeks ago, seeking help from any other kingdoms that might be able to provide aid. Even Glowerhaven, the closest by far, would still be another week’s journey to reach. There was no way any of their ships could have returned so quickly.

Which only meant one thing. The ship in question was no ally to the crown. It was most likely pirates, looking to seize upon an opportunity, thinking them weak and easy prey for the taking. 

“We may be defenseless against Regina, but I’ll be damned if I let pirates upon my shores.”

“But Your Highness, they’re wearing your colors, flying your flag. It’s one of your vessels.”

James snatched the viewing glass from Grumpy’s hand, wanting to see for himself. It wasn’t a vessel he’d ever laid eyes on before. It wasn’t one of his, yet Grumpy was right. His kingdom’s flag waved high on the main mast for all to see.

Part of him wondered if it was a trick. If Regina had sent them in, hoping the castle would lower its defenses, only to be seized in the middle of the night by her men. But on the off chance that the ship wasn’t Regina’s, it may also have been their only hope. 

For nearly an hour, James stood at the window, watching the men aboard the ship as they stood at attention, never once stepping across the gangplank that had been set out. They never sent anyone to approach the castle, nor did they made any move to make their presence known. 

Eventually, the tension in the room became too much, forcing James to send a rider to the shore. He watched as the horse approached the docks, the rider dismounting and speaking with the crew, before turning back and riding hard for the castle. 

The rider barely had time to knock before Snow ran and threw the doors open, eager to hear what he’d learned. The ship was named the Jewel of the Realm, and its men swore that they’d once pledged an oath to Misthaven, that she ship belonged to Their Majesty’s armada, and that they stood ready for orders.

James wasted no time in heading for the library, looking for any indication of a ship by that name in his possession. He’d never heard of her before, nor had any of the other council members. After finally locating the ledger with a detailed list of all of the ships, he looked through the last two pages, twice, letting his fingers drift over the names of each ship he owned. There was no mention of her, though. It was a trick.

Just as he was about to shut the book, ready to ride out to the ship and gut each man onboard himself, he heard his wife gasp next to him. He followed her eyes, seeing the name listed on a page, the only ship on that docket. Jewel of the Realm - special assignment. James recognized the script as George’s handwriting.

The Jewel was his, as were the men he witnessed standing at attention. But the issue of the secret mission tugged at his gut. The men had been sent out by the previous king nearly twenty years before. The men he saw were barely older than Emma, many of them clearly not original members of the crew. Could he trust them? Men that had likely never stepped foot on his lands.

Would they be willing to die for their king the way he knew his other naval officers would be? Would it even matter? What use could thirty men be against Regina’s army of thousands?

James looked to his wife, seeing the same fears upon her pale face.

The two of them returned to the council chambers, explaining to the others that the ship was indeed theirs, sharing his concerns with them about the vessel’s whereabouts for the last two decades. After much debate, it was decided that they were out of options and the Jewel was their last hope. 

Everyone agreed that the ship was no match for Regina’s troops, and all were lost as to how the Jewel could help, until a small voice spoke up from the back of the room. Johanna, Snow’s oldest and most trusted confidant.

“They can take the princess. They can keep her safe, far away from the war.”

The room exploded, voices crying out against it, but it was Snow that calmed them down, allowing Johanna to finish.

“Snow, long ago, your parents instructed me to take you far away should war ever come to the castle. If anything were to happen to them, it wouldn’t matter as long as you were safe. Their council agreed, saying it was best to ensure the safety of an heir. I pleaded with them not to ask such a thing of me. But now, well, now I understand.”

Everyone watched helplessly as Snow’s eyes began to well up, a sad smile gracing her apple red lips, as she hugged Johanna. For as much as they hated the idea of sending their only daughter away on a ship full of men they’d never met before, they weren’t sure they had a choice. Emma was the next in line, the only successor, and needed to be kept safe. And to the crew’s credit, they’d come home just as they were needed most, when it was most dangerous for them.

* * *

Emma pleaded with her parents as the small envoy of people headed for the docks by foot, keeping to the shadows in their cloaks, hoping to avoid detection. James and Snow had done their best to explain to her why it was the best option, the  _ only _ option, but she was stubborn. A trait she'd inherited from both her parents, but James held to the plan the council had formed.

As the five of them reached the docks, James approached the ship, calling out for whomever was in charge. Slowly, from the back of the ship, a man stepped forward, his blue eyes almost ethereal in the limited lighting.

“My name is Captain Liam Jones and I command this ship and these men.”

He remained stoic, unphased by the fact that he was speaking with royalty. There was no bow, no formal titles used. The man’s demeanor had James on alert, second guesses edging their way through his mind. Until another voice spoke up from the captain’s side.

“Lieutenant Killian Jones, Your Majesty.” The young man looked back at the captain, possibly searching for some form of approval, but continued without challenge from the superior officer. “I apologize for my brother’s lack of a proper greeting. We’ve been at sea for a long time and it can sometimes dull a man’s manners. But I assure you, this is the finest crew your armada has to offer, and we are at your service.”

“Captain, may we have a word in private?” It wasn’t a question though. If James was really going to send his only daughter away with these men, he needed more than the word of a junior ranking officer.

The captain simply nodded, stepping backwards as his crew parted, leaving a walking path to what James assumed was the captain’s quarters.

The room had a strange feel about it. Everything was ship shape, not a speck of dust or mess to be found, but something just seemed a bit off. The air was thicker, harder to breathe in. 

“Please, have a seat.” Captain Jones gestured to a chair across from his own at his desk. His lack of formality bothered James. On one hand, it was a breath of fresh air being able to speak with someone without them nearly cowering before him, eager to agree with everything he said. But on the other hand, he worried that the lack of respect would transfer to Emma. He knew there were dangers involved in allowing his only child onboard a ship with thirty men. Men who’d likely not seen a woman in some time. He needed to be certain that she’d be safe among them. 

James sidestepped the chair, choosing to stand instead. Choosing to demonstrate whatever bit of authority he had left. 

“Captain, I’ve been King of this land for nearly twenty years, yet until tonight, I’d never even heard of this ship.” The captain nodded, but said nothing. “So what exactly was this secret assignment that my father sent you on? You couldn’t have been more than a teenager when he gave you those orders.”

“Aye, I was but a boy when I joined this ship so very many years ago, but I can assure you, that in all my time, my loyalty has always been to the ship and crown. I swore an oath, one I can not and will not break. And as far as our location, I’m afraid even I cannot divulge that information. As you stated, your father sent us out on a secret assignment, and I was sworn not to speak of it to anyone, which I’m afraid includes you, Your Majesty.”

“And if I were to order you, as your king?”

“Then I would still not tell you. I take my vows quite seriously.”

That was possibly the only bit of solace he’d been given that night. That despite the man’s obvious contempt for royalty, he was a man of honor if nothing else.

“And should I give you new orders, would you follow them?”

“Yes.”

James thought on it for a minute, but the realization of his lack of choices made the decision for him. If Regina found Emma, she’d torture the girl, or worse. At least with these men, she stood a chance.

And so James gave him orders. It was simple really, to take the ship as far and as fast as possible with Emma onboard. To tell no one of who she was or where she was from. To guard her with their lives. The captain accepted, leaving to ready the ship, not even stopping to take on any new supplies.

The blue fairy used the last of her magic to disguise the ship. As the fairy dust flew through the air, covering every last inch of the ship, a transformation occurred. The flag flying high above them no longer carried his crest or colors. Instead, it was a simple skull framed by two scabbards. The ship’s wood looked worn and aged, the colors less vivid and cracked. And the men aboard, the ones who’d been wearing their finest uniforms were now covered in leather and torn linens. Everything about it screamed pirates.

The last place Regina would ever think to look for Emma would be on a pirate ship. 

James and Snow whispered their goodbyes to their tearful daughter, unsure of when, or if, they’d ever see her again. The crew wasn’t to return unless they received word of Regina’s demise. It could be years, or never. They kissed her cheeks and sent her on her way, her own princess dress and cloak unchanging as she stepped aboard the ship. The fairy dust already used up. 

There was no great farewell as the ship set sail back into the ocean. As Snow and James watched their only daughter leave on a pirate ship, the Jolly Roger, they didn’t wave goodbye. Instead, they stood there for a moment, clutching each other’s hands tightly, before turning and heading back to the castle, not willing to stay out in the open for too long. Hoping against all hope that their little girl would remain safe.


End file.
